A A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia [CD/DVD]

by Billy Joel

Overview

As Mikhail Gorbachev's Glasnost warmed relations between the East and West, Billy Joel was invited to be the first American rocker to perform in the Soviet Union. In the throes of his supporting tour for 1986's The Bridge, Joel jumped at the chance and performed three shows apiece in Moscow and Leningrad, along with an acoustic show in Tbilisi, in the summer of 1987. This tour was documented on the rush-released 1987 live album Kohuept but the 2014 set A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia goes deep, expanding the original double LP/single CD to a double-disc 27-track set, adding 12 unreleased cuts (including a version of the Beatles' "She Loves You" taken from rehearsals), plus a DVD containing video of the full concert and the documentary film A Matter of Trust. This movie, helmed by Emmy winner Jim Brown, does an admirable job of placing Billy's Russian tour in historical context and is often more interesting than the album it supports. The 1987 concert, whether in its original Kohuept incarnation or this expanded double-disc edition, does capture a well-oiled band at its stadium-pleasing best and the set list -- anchored with the classics, featuring three songs from The Bridge, hard rockers tailored for an arena, covers of Beatles and Dylan, plus a doo wop interlude -- is satisfying but the performance is just a shade too polite, a problem that could either lie at the feet of a band eager to not offend or an audience not feeding back appropriate energy. The music is pleasant but lacks spark, leaving the movie as the true document of the excitement that greeted Billy Joel when he toured the U.S.S.R. in 1987. [Matter of Trust was also released with a DVD and some previously unreleased versions.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	05/19/2014
Label:	Columbia / Legacy
UPC:	0888837597623
Rank:	101375

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Odoya
2. Prelude/Angry Young Man
3. Honesty
4. The Ballad of Billy the Kid
5. She's Always a Woman
6. Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
7. Goodnight Saigon
8. Stiletto
9. Big Man on Mulberry Street
10. Baby Grand
11. What's Your Name
12. The Longest Time
13. An Innocent Man

Disc 2

14. Pressure
15. Allentown
16. A Matter of Trust
17. Only the Good Die Young
18. It's Still Rock and Roll to Me
19. Sometimes a Fantasy
20. You May Be Right
21. Uptown Girl
22. Big Shot
23. Back in the U.S.S.R.
24. The Times They Are A-Changin'
25. She Loves You [Russian Concerts Rehearsal Recording]
26. New York State of Mind [Russian Concerts Rehearsal Recording]
27. Piano Man

Disc 3

28. A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia A Documentary Film
29. Prelude/Angry Young Man
30. Allentown
31. Goodnight Saigon
32. Big Man on Mulberry Street
33. Baby Grand
34. An Innocent Man
35. Honesty
36. The Longest Time
37. A Matter of Trust
38. Only the Good Die Young
39. It's Still Rock and Roll to Me
40. Sometimes a Fantasy
41. You May Be Right
42. Uptown Girl
43. Big Shot
44. Back in the U.S.S.R.
45. Pressure

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Billy Joel   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards
Kevin Dukes   Guitar (Electric)
Liberty DeVitto   Drums
Zurab Loladze   Vocals
Georgi Dylidze   Vocals
Timur Chkuatzeli   Vocals
Georgian Singers "Zhournalist"   Featured Artist
Tomaz Eliava   Vocals
Nugree Gamtjebeli   Vocals
Giya Chirakadze   Vocals
Marc Rivera   Saxophone
David Aberzadze   Vocals
Yosif Zurbauli   Vocals
Dave Lebolt   Keyboards
Russell Javors   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Pete Hewlett   Vocals (Background)
Doug Stegmeyer   Bass
George Simms   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Brian Ruggles   Mixing,Producer
Neal Preston   Photography
Edward O'Dowd   Design,Art Direction
Mandy Eidgah   Project Director
Bruce Dickinson   Reissue Supervisor
Ted Jensen   Mastering
Traditional   Composer
Paul McCartney   Composer
Bob Dylan   Composer
Billy Joel   Composer
Gretchen Brennison   Project Director
Frank Filipetti   Mixing
Claude Johnson   Composer
Arthur Levy   Liner Notes
John Lennon   Composer
Jim Boyer   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Tim Leitner   Associate Engineer
Bradshaw Leigh   Mixing,Engineer
Oleg Smirnoff   Translation